Year of the Tairlai
by Mintyy
Summary: When two rivals find out they were given a gift of sorts at birth, how will they react? Even more, how will the entire world react when their beloved BoyWhoLived is to become the lifetime love of known Death Eater's son Draco Malfoy? DMxHP and others
1. New Prologue

_Revised and rewritten as of March 16, 2009_

Rated M for later chapters.

Pairings: HarryXDraco, RonXHermoine, implied DracoXPansy, implied RemusXSirius, and more to be decided

Note 1: Year of the Tairlai goes AU after the 5th book (:

Note 2: This is unbetaed, but has been combed over by myself a few times and a friend, as well as been run by a spell checker.

Note 3: The first few chapters and the prologue will be similar to the old versions, but with more detail and concrete scenes and interactions.. I'm hoping. ^^;

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters, settings, or anything like that. I only own the Tairlai, their people, their ways, and the plot.

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A row of four cloaked figures sat behind a long oak table that was filling with intricate carvings of felines and canines intertwined together, locked in a complicated dance for all eternity. From behind the hoods, eight eyes that ranged from gold to cinder gray observed the other four adults before them, their heads bowed out of respect.

The male to the far left, the one closest to the fair blond couple, had a look of deep satisfaction set into his features, though his cloak hid it from view. His cinder eyes shone in the candlelight, his slitted pupils dilated to mirror the pupils of an ordinary humans. Finally he became the first to speak. "Not everyday you see the Malfoy's bowing to someone else's feet, now is it?" His voice, though harsh and mocking, was laced with a purr as seductive as a siren's song. The slight cocking of the female Malfoy's head was not lost on him, and he gave a light chuckle. The movement was not lost to her husband either, it seemed, for he brought his face upwards, molten silver eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Just because you are one-" He started, but the affected female at his side who was his wife, the woman he loved and never failed to reign in his temper, laid a soft hand on his arm. "Remember your place, Lucius. Remember why we have come this far." She whispered, her eyes flicking over the other married couple; the Potters if her memory served her correctly. "Do not jeopardize whatever these four have in store for us; they are creatures of good, not evil. Be humbled that such beings would want us in their presence at all." She continued, her own stone gray eyes returning to look at her husband's emotionless face, her gaze slightly pleading. Lucius snorted lightly; was this her idea of redemption? It hardly scratched the surface of redeeming themselves in his mind. But he lowered his head nonetheless and muttered an apology.

The only female of the four at the table, to the right of the male who had spoken, smiled. The action caused her dark leathery skin to wrinkle more but just like her companion, these features were hidden from their guests. "I am sorry we have called you here, I am sure you all have your respective places to be and lives to lead, but we have foreseen the future... Many years ago, and this is when we were to step into your lives, whether you accept us with open arms or not... Have you all heard of the Tairlai?" She spoke, her voice clear and steady, despite her age and once more, like her companion her voice rang with a purr. Her eyes centered on the Potters. She knew they wouldn't have... Not like the Malfoy's. And true to her hunch, the pair shook their heads.

The man from before snorted, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. "If they do not know of our people, why should we even grace them with this honor that many others would want? How much thought have we put into this?" He questioned, though he kept his cinder eyes directed away from the female. Her golden eyes narrowed, boring into into the side of his head, waiting for his - "I am sorry milady, I did not mean to react like that.." - Apology.

She smiled approvingly at the younger man. "It is fine Rowan, please be more considerate next time, however." She stated, the other being addressed merely nodding before turning back to address the Potters, who were now looking slightly nervous. "It's okay. We had figured at least one of you all may not know about our species, so we have prepared a sort of... gift.." She said, turning to address the male on the far right. "Floretz, please give the Potter's the books we had brought out." She said, watching as the withering figure got up, feeble hands grasping the four thin volumes in front of him before shuffling forwards and extending the books to the couple. "Three of those books cover our history, what we are, how we carry on in these times, and much more. The final volume will help you with any words you come across that you may not be familiar with. We Tairlai are known for mixing the common English language with our own words." The single female elaborated as her companion took his seat once more.

The Potter's looked up at the group of four with bright smiles and said 'thank you' in unison, making the female smile brightly. Rowan nudged her slightly to pull her attention off the Potters and nodded his head to the Malfoy's, specifically Lucius. "I think our keen male Malfoy is interested in owning his own set..." He whispered. With a nod she turned towards the last male on her right and muttered, "Ghali would you minds fetching another set of books for the Malfoys? I'm sure they'd like to browse through them to be further informed of what is to come." Without a word the addressed male got up and left the dark room with no more noise then a simple clicking of the door.

"Now, let us get to the point of this gathering, though I am sure you all have a faint idea. You are here to receive from us, a gift." She said, getting ready for a long-winded explanation. "As you may or may not be aware of, but Tairlai are classed as were-creatures although we do not reproduce through the normal means of were-creatures. Because of this, we have found through the centuries that our race is compatible for cross breeding and we have gone ahead and done this, causing the work of the very first Tairlai to go up in smoke, so to say." Here she was interrupted by the return of the third male. "Ah, just give those right to the Malfoy's, Ghali." She directed, waving a hand in the blond couple's direction. "As you wish, Marcillia." He said, moving and giving the books over to the awaiting pair, mostly Lucius, before taking his once vacant seat.

"To continue with our little explanation..." She started, grabbing the attention of the now preoccupied couple, "Ever since the very first show of cross breeding, a Council was set up within our race to find a way to help our race to survive. We have been able to shape our magic to see into the future and place as many mates together as possible. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy... I am sure you are aware of why this is crucial.. Mr. Potter I am sure you are as well." She paused here to gaze at Lily, causing the woman to squirm uncomfortably, "Mrs. Potter, many creatures are crucial to wizard and muggle living alike. The Tairlai are no exception. We have a certain genetic coding where if two mates do not interact in some way before their coming of age, their Tairlai blood will go cold, causing us to lose two more of our dwindling race." Here she took a breath and cleared her throat ever so much, a silent sign for one of the three to take over.

"Our council is hand picked and raised to hone their abilities in foreseeing pairs." Ghali started, his voice strong and lacking the purr from the other two who had spoken. "Sometimes we are wrong, and fights break out among Tairlai families, however when we saw this pairing, it was the most vivid and we knew there would be no error for we saw ourselves standing in the background and we knew... We had created it. You see, we have been trying a new magic, and when we saw this pair we knew it would succeed. This is why you four are present today.

"Within a year or so, Lily and Narcissa will have baby boys. These two boys are _destined_, by our race, to be each others mates. We need you to give us your consent to work this new magic to make this pairing come to fruition because well... None of you have even a drop of Tairlai blood in you so must do it for you, so to speak." He finished here and settled back, waiting for Marcillia to finish this meeting up, however it was Floretz who spoke in a cracking, dry voice, "You have forgotten some of the basic, main points Ghali." He turned his brown eyes to the four in front of them, silently listening to the information and continued, "You must look at the coming together of your sons as nothing out of the ordinary; for the Tairlai male pairings are common... Do not look at your children differently because of this. And last of all.. You _must_ let your children meet before their coming of age, which would be sixteen." He finished and now all four at the table watched the two couples, awaiting their responses, if any. It was Lily who spoke first.

"My lords and lady, I give you permission to do whatever it is to my son in hopes of saving your race. I have no qualms with the boys meeting before they are sixteen. Perhaps they could even be friends; it may make things easier on them." At this she looked at the Malfoy's uncertainly, fully aware of their relationship outside of these walls. Could they really pull this off. Relief swept through her when Narcissa nodded and Lucius offered the faintest of nods, also wondering just how they could pull such a relationship off.

"I also give you permission to do whatever you must to are son." Narcissa said shortly, looking squarely at the four for the first time since entering the dark chamber. With a satisfied smile, Marcillia nodded her head, causing her hood to shake ever so much. A glint of teeth showed from the depth's of Ghali's hood as he grinned. "You may go." He said at last, the other Tairlai nodding their heads in vigorous agreement. At those words, the four rose and made their way to the large doors they remembered going through not so long ago.

"One more thing... Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter..." Marcillia paused, watching as the two men turned to look at her. "Whichever son is born first will be the Dominant, which is like being the true male in the relationship... You two may want to turn this into a competition and see whose son will end up being the emotionally stable one..." She said, a glint in her eyes as she watched the two men turn to look at each other, daring the other to try and produce the Dominant first. After the silent bet had been made, the two couples left, and the woman could only hope spurring them on would quicken the process...

... And almost a year later the council received a letter from the Malfoys. Narcissa had had a baby; a boy. Lucius also added that he had had his son first, winning the bet he had made with James.

And about two months later, the Potters sent them a letter saying Lily had had her son. They did not hold back in gloating that he was adorable, and he was named Harry. But Marcillia could tell James was slightly deflated that his son would become the Submissive; but she knew the man would be proud of his son nonetheless.

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I hope there has been some improvement between this version and the old one ^^


	2. The Coming of Age One

First real chapter; please don't be expecting two-three chapters a day like this one, please; I do have other things to be doing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Tairlai and the plot

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_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, end of Fifth year._

That year at Hogwarts had never been harder on Harry. First he had to deal with the fact that Voldemort really, truly was back, then he had to just _have_ that vision about the Department of Mysteries, which lead to the untimely death of his godfather, Sirius, which all ended with him hearing the damn prophecy about him and Voldemort. _Damn that idiot._ Harry thought miserably, poking at the eggs that were sitting on his plate, the contact he had with them had been his repeated poking at them, a scowl set in place.

Everyone thought Harry would be stricken with grief at the loss of Sirius; so stricken they thought he'd lose all mental stability he held onto, but they were wrong. Sure Harry mourned a great deal for Sirius, but something at the back of his head told him it'd be all right, that Sirius wasn't _truly_ gone, but simply waiting. And Harry chose to listen to that little something, so he kept his grieving at a low level.

The chatter and warm buzz of everyone in the Great Hall died down as the large doors were thrown open, and in sauntered Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, looking as smug and perfect as they always did. Slowly, they made their way up to the head table, and stopped directly in front of Albus Dumbledore, who addressed the two with a nod and all merriment was forgotten as they briefly discussed something of a serious kind before the two nodded, smiled, turned and made a beeline for Draco Malfoy, who had paled greatly, and was trying his hardest not to shrink back as his parents approached.

Now, the sight of Malfoy looking so terrified intrigued Harry, watching the three Malfoys quietly converse, his emerald eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Wonder what's going on...?" Someone mumbled down the table from him. Harry turned briefly to regard the speaker before turning back to the scene, like everyone else in the school, but what was said next caught Harry's attention.

"Didn't you know? Malfoy's a _Tairlai._ It's the first of June... If I remember correctly, his birthday's the fifth, and he's turning sixteen..." The voice trailed off suggestively, which led Hermione to speak up, also having gotten interested in the conversation.

"...Which means if he's seen his mate, he'll come into inheritance of his blood. I remember reading about the breed in _'Dying races of the World'_. They have a whole chapter on them, but it's rather vague." She whispered excitedly, and soon the whole Gryffindor table was whispering to one another, trying to guess what would happen to the Slytherin.

Harry frowned thoughtfully. The sound of this entire thing seemed familiar and even the word 'Tairlai' didn't seem as foreign to him as it should. His frown deepened. What exactly did all this mean? Harry turned to glance at the blond just in time to see him rise slowly, and cast a glance at Harry, his liquid silver eyes shining with something Harry couldn't comprehend. Hope? Need? ... Fear maybe? But before Harry could try to guess, the blond turned away and left with his parents.

The minute the trio left the Great Hall, an eruption of whispers exploded from the other tables, everyone trying to guess what was going on. Those who knew what was going on were discussing the fate that Malfoy had walked into. But nothing else mattered at that moment to Harry. All he could concentrate on was the look Malfoy had given him, which worried him slightly.

At the instant, Harry knew what he was now pining for.

Suddenly and quite quickly, Harry stood up, glanced at his friends and mumbled, "I'm going to the library..." And as soon as the last word was out of his mouth, he headed off; quite thankful that it was a Saturday.

As soon as he out of the Great Hall, Harry sped off towards the library, where he was sure the answers he wanted awaited him.

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Three hours and fifteen books later, Harry laid his head down with a sigh. The only information he had found and recorded was about a foot of parchment... _Libraries are supposed to hold the answer to _everything..._ At least that's what 'Mione says..._ Harry thought dully to himself.

"Harry? What're you doing?" A soft voice said next to him, making him jump up in his chair and whip around to stare at the intruder coldly. Instantly, his eyes softened when he saw that it was just Hermione, looking a tad bit worried.

Letting out another sigh, Harry gestured to the unorganized stuff in front of him. "_Trying_ to figure out what exactly a Tairlai is..." Harry trailed off, looking down at the table with a frustrated glare. Why did this all make sense in a 'You know this stuff but you don't' way? Everything just _had_ to be difficult when it came to Harry Potter.

Hermione smiled softly and sat down beside her friend. "Why are you looking up stuff about the Tairlai?" She asked, and then added, "Are you worried about Malfoy?"

Harry's head snapped up at the word 'Malfoy'. "I don't know why I'm looking this all up... Just curious I guess." An involuntary shiver ran down Harry's spine. "I'm not worried about Malfoy." He said, a bit rushed.

Slowly, Hermione nodded. "Okay, well, first of all, let's see what you have here..." She started, reached for the list he had created.

Neither was seen by Ron until dinner came around.

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Please Read and Review! Please be patient as I work on my other fic and it's chapters, along with the chapters for this one and my other commitments!


	3. Failed Attempt

Oh gosh... I'm sorry for like, never updating. T.T I've been working on and off on this chapter, but there isn't much I could really put in. A good friend helped me out with it, so it's more of a filler and a tease then anything. We're redoing the Tairlai species over, to have it make more sense. (I was very indesecive when I made them) And then I've been working on a few of my own things, and having some Real Life problems. Hopefully I'll update more.

I was asked some questions before, so I'll answer them; I have read everyone's reviews and I fill with happiness everytime I find I have one. I do appreciate them, and I thank you all, I'd do it indiviually, but I know everyone really wants to read the story ;) So, here are your answers, Yaeko

Yes, they did see each other before they turned sixteen ;D It's crucial to the plot that they do And yes, the Malfoy's are supporters of Voldemort, I'm well aware of it, but I can't say how I'm going to work with it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Tairlai and the plot XD;

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Ron looked up from the mountain of food in front of him to see his two best friends come into the Great Hall, smiling and laughing like they hadn't just left him alone all day to hang out with the rest of the Gryffindors of his year. "And where have you two been?" Ron asked, sounding a bit angrier then he meant too.

Hermione sent Ron a questioning look as she sat down at his left. "We were in the library, why didn't you bother to look there?" She asked, reaching for the bowl of mashed potatoes.

Ron swallowed hard. "The library? Blimey, Harry, are you actually trying to do your homework?" Ron questioned, turning to look at the raven-haired youth at his right, who was quietly digging into the small pile of food he had created.

"...No..." Was the brief, quiet response Ron got. Turning, he looked at Hermione expectantly. When he received nothing, he couldn't hold back any longer.

"With the way you two are acting, you'd think you guys were having a relationship!" Ron huffed, sullenly digging into his dinner with a bitter appetite.

Harry choked on the mouthful of pumpkin juice and turned to look first at Hermione who had gone red with embarrassment, to Ron who looked on the verge of either killing him or crying. "You seriously think that? Don't be daft, Ron. We were simply looking some things up. Honestly." Harry answered for them, turning stiffly back to his meal.

Ron's look faded instantly. "Harry, do you feel all right, mate? I mean, you're doing research; _for the sake of it?_" Ron sputtered out. "What's so important you need to look it up?"  
Harry rolled his eyes at this. "Honestly Ron," Harry's voice dropped to a whisper. "If you must know, I was looking up some information on Tairlai's..."

"Tairlai's? Why would you want to look up on something like that? I doubt they even exist." Ron said through a mouthful of food. He cast a glance over at the Slytherin table where Malfoy usually sat and Harry and Hermione followed his gaze. After chewing a bit more and swallowing his food Ron stated evenly, "I bet you this whole Tairlai thing is some sick joke of Malfoy's; he's probably sore from the lack of attention he's getting..."

Harry simply shook his head as Hermione, ever the defensive person, no matter what; set about to convince Ron that he wasn't an attention seeker, that he simply liked to be noticed once and awhile like everyone else. "I honestly don't see why you try to stick up for the stupid git..." Harry said, but his words went unnoticed.

After a long and difficult talk, Ron began to prod Harry in the shoulder. "Did you hear me, mate?" He questioned when Harry finally turned to look at him. Slowly, Harry shook his head. With a dramatic sigh, Ron repeated himself, "Me and 'mione have decided that we should all get a head start on our end-of-term paper for Potions. We were going to head to the library, you gonna come?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Harry replied, getting up with his friends. As they walked towards the doors to the Entrance Hall, he couldn't help but to look over at the Slytherin table. His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he noticed a few of Draco's friends were watching the trio intently. Deciding to ignore it, he turned and tried to listen to what Ron and Hermione were discussing.

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"Out! Out! It's almost curfew! The library'll be here tomorrow!" Madame Pince snapped loudly infront of three very stressed looking students. "Now! Before I take points away! Or throw detentions around!"

Hermione sighed and closed the thick book she had been looking over for the past hour or so. She turned to look at Harry and Ron, who had also closed their books and began to quietly pack their things up. Hermione looked over at Madame Pince and smiled brilliantly. "Okay, Madame Pince! We'll just put these books back for you and we'll leave, okay?" She remarked.

Madame Pince nodded as she turned and headed towards her desk, muttering about irresponsibility and immaturity and other nonesense. The three gathered the books they had grabbed and went to put them away. Hermione waited a few more minutes before whispering excitedly, "You'll never guess what I found!"

Ron turned and raised an eye brow. "What, 'Mione? Did you find the varying affects of Horn of Kronus and why they react so dramatically with toad's blood?" He questioned as Harry nodded his head in agreement.

Hermione rolled her eyes a little bit. "No. I found that weeks ago." She answered. She grinned a little as she said, "I found a section in a potion's book about Tairlai that goes into great detail!" Ron looked completely floored while Harry had a mixture of excitement, surprise, and curiousity.

"And? What did it say? Did you write anything down?" Harry finally asked, afraid that in the moment of silence, Hermione might forget.

Hermioned looked around before shaking her head. "Here isn't the place." She said before turning and heading back to their table to grab her bag and hurry off to the Gryffindor common room. After exchanging glances Ron and Harry hurried after her.

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Once the three of them were safely inside in the common room, huddled around a table Ron finally asked, "So? What did you find?" Harry nodded once more, just as eager to know more.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Honestly, you're like two kids in a candy shop." She commented, frowning somewhat at Ron's blank expression. "I don't remember it all; I just skimmed over it." Harry was the one to frown now.

"Just skimmed over it? Hermione!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up and leaning away from the table. "You know how important this is! We could've been the very few to actually know something about the Tairlai!" He returned his gaze to his bushy haired friend. "Do you at least know which book it was in?" He asked.

Hermione sighed at Harry's reaction. "Yes, I remember the book; I wrote the title down. It also has a very good section on the Kronus that might actually help-" Harry cut her off at that point. "Who cares about the Kronus? I want to see the section on the Tairlai." Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, and he blushed a little bit. "I'm-I'm going to go to bed." He said hurriedly as he stood up and grabbed his bag. "Goodnight you two." He said before heading to the stairs that led to the boy dorms.

Ron turned to look at Hermione. "What was that all about?" He asked. Hermione shrugged a little, not really understanding it herself. "Who knows? I'm going to go to bed though, see you tomorrow Ron." She said before heading off towards the girl dorms.

And for the second time that day, Ron was left alone to wonder just what was going on.

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Oh gosh... I'm sorry it's so short T.T I'll try to write longer chapters in the future.. 


	4. Interlude One Happy Birthday

Well, I haven't been updating this as much as I'd like to, but I've just been so busy with so many different things. I most certainly haven't forgotten about this story, although I have forgotten where I was going with it. ; But never fear, I've found a new way to go about with it!

This is a little intermission/interlude; a part of the story that doesn't really fit into the plot but is also kind of… interesting/important. XD;

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_Malfoy Manor, June Fifth_

Narcissa Malfoy sighed for what must have been the hundredth time that morning. Ever since she had been awoken at Seven a.m by the sounds of her only child Draco, coming into his inheritance she hadn't been able to sit still for more then thirty seconds.

Earlier in the week, Narcissa and her husband Lucius, had gone to the council of Tairlai from years ago and asked what they should do with Draco coming into inheritance soon. Their advice?

"_Bring him home. When his birthday comes he will constantly change from human form to were form and be in agony. Make sure he has lots of food and things to well, rip apart. Also, I think only Lucius should see him; Draco would probably kill you, Narcissa."_

Well. The news that her loving son might kill her kept her well away from his room, where another bout of yowling and hissing was arising. And Narcissa sighed once more as she looked at the place she and Lucius usually piled the numerous presents they always got for their son to open up when he came home from Hogwarts. The usual mountain was absent however, as Lucius had decided that presents could wait until their son was in a much more… stable state.

"Lucius?" She called, wondering where her husband had gotten to. This was another part of her little cycle she had concocted. A second later she heard a deep sigh that was followed by, "I'm going…" This caused Narcissa to settle back into her chair, awaiting the little report that Lucius seemed to give her every hour or so.

Lucius heaved himself up the large staircase for had to have been the twentieth time since Narcissa had woken him up, all in a panic that Draco was in some serious pain. 'Of course he's in some serious pain! He's being forced into rapid body changes in under twenty-four hours… I don't blame him one bit for making all this horrible noise.' He mentally grumbled to himself, stopping outside the heavy door where the yowls and hisses of pain were slowly quieting. Giving two short loud raps Lucius swept into the room and looked around in dismay; the child had destroyed everything that had been in the save for the bed, where his son laid, his long haired Tairlai form slowly returning to the pale skinned boy he knew so well. "Draco?" He called softly.

For a moment, his son didn't answer. Slowly, he turned his head and regarded his dad with tired silver eyes. He smiled a little and said, "I'm fine, really; it's not as painful as I make it sound." Lucius nodded a little, shifting his weight from one foot to another. It was true the yowling and other horrible noises where getting farther apart, but they still sounded like someone were murdering his son. Taking in a deep breath he looked up at his son with a somewhat calm look before saying, "And… What of your… mate?" The next instant Draco let out a pitiful sound and buried his head into his bedding.

The scene really was quite comical, and had this not been happening to Lucius, he would've laughed. Instead he moved closer, looking a little confused. "Draco? Are you all right?" He questioned, worry and panic running through him; was he not supposed to mention his mate? He'd have to go back and read those books from so long ago… He noticed a small wave of pain wash over his son and he backed up. "I'm fine, just… Don't mention _him_." was the muffled answer. This time, Lucius had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing; Draco was acting as if his mate was the equivalent of the Dark Lord.

"All right, all right, I won't. Will you be joining your mother and me for lunch? Or even dinner?" He asked, hoping his son would be well enough to be let out of his room for an hour or so. "…Dinner." was the short reply. Lucius nodded his head and moved closer to Draco and patted his son on the head. "Happy Birthday, son." He said softly before turning and leaving to tell Narcissa how her son was doing.

Draco snorted a little bit. "Yeah, right." He grumbled as a wave of pain washed over him as he began the cycle all over again.

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Well, I didn't go into great detail about Draco's inheritance, but you got a small taste of it. I'll go into greater detail for Harry because I'm mean and cruel, lol Anyway, hopefully I'll be updating soon! 


	5. The First Connection

Hola everyone!! I'm still alive and so is this story! My computer died awhile back but it lives once more! Be prepared for a little rambling

My friend asked me a stupid question, it was about why I skimmed over Draco's inheritance and am going into detail about Harry's. At first I said because it was easier. But then I thought on it and said it was because with Draco, you have not his view on the inheritance, but his parents; and you don't get the parents view with Harry. So with Draco I decided to show how parents/outsiders would act during the process and with Harry I decided to show the process first-hand... If that makes sense to anyone, haha

I've got lots of free time lately so I'm planning on doing mega updates! And as an added bonus, all reviews I get I will reply to! (If I can) Just so I can personally thank you and comment on your review! What a treat, haha So if you have questions, ask and they will be answered! (if I have a way to respond, that is)

On with the story!

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_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

It was a Saturday; exactly two days before the exams started, and five days since Draco had returned to Hogwarts. The rumours had flown for awhile, but they had stopped shortly after being started. Draco had openly admitted to coming into his inheritance as a Tairlai. The new gossip and topic was all about who Draco's mate was. Of course everyone thought that is was a Slytherin - some were even bold enough to say it was Pansy.

Of course, when questioned about it, Pansy just squeal and got red. And Draco.. Well, no one dared ask Draco. So, while most where lounging about outside, half studying, half talking Harry had holed himself up in the library with as many textbooks humanly possible and had been taking precise and well written notes on every subject Harry had taken that year. Of course, Hermione was proud of him and let him be to study on his own while Ron whined that he wouldn't have any to chat and goof around with.

Harry and Hermione had convinced Ron that just this once, Harry needed the time alone to study and the red-head grudgingly obliged. So there Harry sat, alone in the library studying Transfiguration, Care for Magical Creatures, Potions, and more. He barely registered the fact that someone had sat down opposite him and was waiting patiently to be noticed by the black haired teen.

And of course, they went unnoticed. When Harry registered that someone was sitting at his table, he merely guessed that it was Ron or Hermione - most likely the latter; that had come to study with him. "Do you usually ignore people when they come to talk to you?" A cool, drawling voice finally spoke up; the tone making Harry's head shoot up and look directly into the cool, bored gaze of Draco's. Instantly, he went on alert; it was never good when Draco wanted to talk.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" He questioned heatedly. Though he was tired from studying he was never tired enough to be engulfed by the flames of hate that the Slytherin brought about. The other leaned forward and rested his elbow on the table, and then his head on his hand, watching the Gryffindor with an amusement lighting his silver eyes. "I just want to talk." He said simply and almost laughed as the heat of hate light Harry's green eyes. "Okay, okay; I had heard a few people comment on how you and your friends had been trying to learn more about Tairlai. So I decided to shed some light on them... What is it that you want to know?" He finally said.

Now Harry was really on guard. Malfoy? Give up information? And not be snotty about it? Harry frowned a little. Either he had been studying too much or he had officially entered some sort of Twilight Zone. The blond sat silently, waiting for the other to speak up. When Harry didn't, Draco let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Well? Are you going to ask something or not?" He asked, a touch of impatience entering his voice. For awhile, the two were silent, one gazing coolly and the other glaring heatedly. Harry was weighed many different options. He could turn down the offer and try to find the information on his own, or he could put his own pride and ego aside and ask Draco.

Finally, he decided on the latter. Taking a sigh he asked, "What exactly is a Tairlai?" Harry expected Draco to either draw out when he answered or go into some long explanation but his answer was simple: "A were-creature. Well, a were-hybrid but they're classed as were-creatures, like werewolves." Harry sat stunned. Stunned that not only had he answered, but he also gave him a truthful answer. Harry had already known what a Tairlai was from the little information Hermione and him could find, so it was more like a test then anything.

There was a long silence in which Harry sat utterly confused. Why would Draco be telling him, Harry of people about Tairlai? He watched the other with carefully guarded eyes and finally decided to plow on. "How do they change? What stimulates it? How long does the transformation last? How does a society of Tairlai work? Are they able to live among wizards?" He rushed out, not leaving Draco any time to answer. Harry watched as Draco frowned and straightened his frame, going over the questions more slowly. He expected the Slytherin to snap at him for assaulting him with questions like that but Draco simply sat there, mulling over the questions and coming up with answers.

"First of all, they change like a werewolf. Skeletal changes; organ changes; sense changes and temperment changes. The skeleton grows thinner and more compact, making it easier to move about. The organs change and shift, allowing a Tairlai's once dormant organs room to function. A Tairlai is born with organs quite different from a humans but they stay small and unused until a Tairlai comes into inheritance and are then only used when a Tairlai is in wereform. Senses of course, become heightened and more acute to everything. A Tairlai's temperment usually mellows out, causing them to turn into giant purring kittens when content -" Here Harry cut him off.

"Wait, what? Kittens?" He questioned, slightly confused which earned him a rolling of silver eyes. "Yes, kittens. Tairlai is the sophisticated way of saying werecat." Harry made a small 'ah' noise and nodded his head, telling Draco to continue. "As for the stimulant, it's usually the new moon but when a dominant's mate goes into heat that can also act as a stimulant." He paused here, half expecting Harry to ask about mates for Tairlai's but the green-eyed Gryffindor said nothing so he continued on, "The transformation usually lasts the day before, the of, and the after a new moon when stimulated by that but if the transformation is brought on by a mate the transformation can last anywhere from an hour to a week.

"A society of Tairlai works just like a society of wizards; there's a ruler, laws, jobs, and schools for the Tairlai who wish to live in a Tairlai-only community but this is becoming less and less common so that basically answers your last question; yes, Tairlai can live among wizards, muggles, animals, whatever. Unlike the dangerous werewolves, Tairlai are rather harmless unless provoked." He leaned back in his chair and looked around the library, hoping that no one else was around. After all, he didn't need Harry's friends or any of his to come around while he was creating the very first bond with his mate. Finally, he turned his gaze to the Gryffindor as he soaked up the information before he added, "Any other questions?"

Harry looked up at the Slytherin, wondering if he should ask or not. Finally gathering up all of his Gryffindor pride he drew himself up and nodded his head. "Yes; who's your mate?" He asked, watching as mild surprise flew through Draco's eyes before the Slytherin grinned and stood up. Turning towards Harry he bent so that his face was level and close to the other's, watching with amusement as Harry looked startled and surprised, a light blush making it's way onto his face. Draco also felt a twinge of surprise when Harry didn't draw back. A self-satisfied smirk came to him; so the first connection had been made and Harry was drawn to Draco; if not by love or a mate's need then by curiousity to know more about the Tairlai.

Harry sat waiting, wondering if Draco was just trying to be a pest and see how long Harry could stand the closeness of them or something else. Either way he didn't budge, no matter how much the feeling of proximity bother him. Finally, Draco answered, his voice low and his breath warm, "That, Harry is for me to know and you to find out." He grinned cheekily before he drew away and turned and left Harry sitting there, looking stunned once more.

_How Draco knows will be explained later. Just so noone goes, "S But there was no mention that Draco knew Harry was his mate!!"_


	6. Ending the Year

Thanks for the reviews guys Here's the next chapter! (I'm on a roll!) Kay umm... I'm not sure how many chapters there are gonna be, but there's going to be quite a few. XD;

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The days went on in a monotonous manner after Harry had talked to Draco in the library. He wrote his tests and worried about how he did like everyone else, but at the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel nervous and jumpy whenever he was around the blond haired Slytherin. More then once Ron and Hermione had asked why he was asking so strange and Harry always rushed out some excuse or another.

Harry's strange behaviour wasn't lost on Draco either and everytime he saw Harry fidgeting or biting on his lip he smirked in self-satisfaction. Of course his parents had told him that he should start the "wooing" process as soon as he possibly could but Draco failed to see the need to hurry. He was going to tease and pester the other as long as his mind would allow before caving in and going about the process of winning Harry's heart.

That day, the second last day before the school was over found the trio of Gryffindors in the Great Hall eating and chatting about what they wanted to do during the summer and planning when the three would get together and where. By that time, it was almost second nature for Harry to look at the Slytherin table when he entered the Great Hall and at regular intervals to see if the blond was there or not. Harry kept asking himself why knowing where the blond was was so important to him but he kept telling himself that he felt better when the blond wasn't in the same room as him, that he was afraid that Draco would act well, non-rivalish if they came face to face again.

"Harry? Did you hear what I said?" Hermione asked, prodding the slim Gryffindor in the side, trying to get his attention. Slowly he turned to at the girl, as if it were difficult for him to pry his eyes from the table at the other end of the room. "Uh, no I didn't Hermione. Would you mind repeating it please?" He questioned, blushing sheepishly. Hermione gave him a look that said 'You better listen!' before she repeated herself. "I said, I had owled a few bookshops you know, looking for good books for studying and I actually found a few good ones, you two should borrow them sometime, they're awfully useful-" Harry cut her off with a, "'Mione, you're getting a bit off track here..." Hermione blinked and said, "Oh, sorry! Anyway, when I owled them I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask if they had any books on Tairlai..." Now Hermione had Harry's full attention, "...And one owled back and said that they did! Only it didn't have a whole lot of information and I told them to send it and it was actually pretty informative about the transformations and mates and a few facts about how they live in a human society-" Harry once again cut her off, "I already know about that stuff; well except about mates..." Hermione pinned him with a curious gaze. "Harry, how did you find that stuff out? Surely it wasn't from a book in the library, we're searched it top to bottom at least three times!"

Realizing his slip Harry blushed a little bit and shrugged. "I found a book in the library; I think we missed it because it was in a far corner near the floor." He answered, letting his gaze dropped from Hermione to his food, where he began picking at it. Ron and Hermione sat quietly, looking at Harry with a slightly stunned expression. "What he means to say, Granger, is that he found it out from me." Came a cool voice from behind the three.

Almost in perfect unison the three turned to look at Draco who was standing behind the three with his arms folded over his chest. "What do you want, ferret?" Ron spat, looking at the Slytherin with disgust. Draco flicked his gaze to the red-head briefly before he answered, "I just wanted a word with Potter." Instantly Harry's friends went on the alert as Harry looked at the Slytherin with a slightly nervous gaze, wondering just what the Slytherin had to say. "Well then, talk." Ron said, frowning a little. Draco rolled his eyes as he said, "I wanted a word with Potter _alone_." Now Harry was really nervous.

Feeling her friends nervousness Hermione said, "Whatever you have to say to Harry you can say in front of us." Draco frowned a little bit more. "Are you two serious? It's not like I'm going to kill him. I simply want to talk to him." He said, his voice showing that he was trying to restrain from doing something that could prove dangerous. For a long while, no one moved or spoke, but finally Harry caved. "All right, I'll talk with you." He said, drawing surprised gasps from Hermione and Ron; even Draco looked a little shocked. "I'll be fine." He said to his friends as he got up and motioned for Draco to lead the way.

As the two left the Great Hall, everyone fell silent with astonishment. It was known throughout Hogwarts that the two were rivals, and seeing the two walking away together was just plain weird. They walked for a few more minutes until the reached a corridor that wasn't used all that often. Harry stopped where he was and folded his arms, trying to stop his heart from racing. "All right, Malfoy, what do you really want?" He questioned, keeping his voice reasonably void of emotion. The Slytherin turned to look at the Gryffindor and smirked. "I wanted to give you something, actually." He answered, and it was Harry's turn to be shocked, but it soon turned into suspension. "What? How do I know I can trust you?" Harry questioned, taking a step back.

Draco laugh a little bit. "Do you really think that I'd try something here? In hogwarts? Please. I was just thinking that seeing how you were so interested in Tairlai I'd lend you a helping hand." He commented, moving to pull a book out of his bag before handing it to Harry. "You'll find more information in here then in any bookstore." He added, watching and waiting for Harry to take it. When the raven-hair teen did not take it Draco let out a sigh and held it out farther. "Take it; it's not going to bite you!" He said, and something in the tone of his voice, or perhaps it was something inside Harry that made him timidly reach out and take it. Draco grinned in an approving way before he said, "There; now you'll have something to do during the summer aside from schoolwork." Harry looked up from the book to Draco and watched as the blond started to leave. Once he was about to turn a corner he turned back and said with a smirk, "Have a good summer Harry, and enjoy your birthday.." With that he left Harry to stand there, puzzled as to why his rival would say something like that and let realization dawn on him that that was the second time that Draco had called him by his first name.

Confused and studying the book carefully, Harry started back to the Great Hall, wondering if the book was a threat or harmless.

- - -

"Harry! You can't be serious! You're actually going to keep it?!?" Hermione shrieked out when Harry finally told his friends about the book. Harry looked slightly surprised at her outburst and turned to Ron for some back-up, but apparently he was on Hermione's side. "Sorry mate, but I'm with her; it could have some heavy magic attached to it." He said, smiling a little apologetically as Harry glared at the two of them. "Fine, if you two are so worried about it, here!" He rushed out, handing the book to Hermione. "Do whatever dark magic detecting spells that you can! If it has some, then you told me so!" He added, folding his arms. Sometimes his friends were just too damn over-protective; he wasn't a kid anymore afterall.

Hermione gave a small sigh of defeat. "All right Harry, I'll do that. If it's fine, I'll give it back as soon as I can. But if it isn't; I'm sorry Harry but I'm going to have to give it to someone to have it stripped or worse; destroyed." She said, looked at the raven-haired teen with a serious look. Harry looked at her for a moment before nodded his head. "All right..." He said. Ron, now glad that all that was over stood up with a grin and said, "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry, and we have to leave soon or we'll miss the train." And with that, Ron left the common room. After a moment the two got up and went to join Ron for breakfast.

"That was quite the end of year feast, wasn't it?" Ron asked to no one in particular once the three of them were in a compartment on the train for the long ride home. It had been silent for the past half hour, save for Hermione's voice saying spell after spell to detect dark magic and Harry and Ron tell their chess pieces where to move. It was shaping up to be a rather dull train ride. "Mm, yeah sure Ron.." Hermione mumbled absently, turning a few pages in a large book to try out another spell.

Ron, deciding that Hermione was too busy with trying to prove to Harry that there's dark magic in the book he got from Draco, turned his attention to Harry. "What about you, Harry? What did you think of the feast?" He questioned, trying to grab Harry's attention from the chess game. Harry looked up briefly before answered, "It was the same as every year, Ron." Ron gave a small huff, realizing that both of his best mates were too wrapped up in their own thoughts. "Well fine then, I guess we could pass the time in silence.." He mumbled, turning his attention to the chess game.

- - -

As they were nearing Platform 9 3/4 Hermione had finally given up and handed the book back to Harry. "I... Couldn't find anything." She said, looking a tad embarassed. Harry wanted to tell her that he told them so, but held his tongue. Instead he said, "Thanks 'Mione; I appreciate you being so concerned about me." Hermione brightened a little at his words and gave him a brief hug. For the next half hour the three chatted happily about everything and nothing until the train came to a lurching stop and they all got off.

"See you Harry! Bye Ron!" Hermione called as she immediately started to leave to find her parents. The two boys waved goodbye as they headed towards the waiting weasley's. Harry wished so very much that he was going home with them but he couldn't, not yet, anyway. He planned to spend two weeks at his aunt and uncles before spending the rest of July at Grimmauld Place, where he'd celebrate his birthday. And then the rest of the summer would be spent with the Weasley's. Harry smiled happily at the thought of returning to The Burrow.

After they had all chatted and Harry and Ron were fussed over Harry left the red-headed family to go and find his aunt and uncle. He didn't have to look for very long and soon enough he was crammed into his uncles car and heading back to Number Four Privet Drive for the next two weeks. As the car made it's way back, Harry couldn't help but hope that the two weeks would go by quickly and of course by now Draco's last words to him has crept up and he couldn't help but wonder why the Slytherin would hope he had a good summer and enjoyed his birthday. Frowning, he turned his attention to looking outside the car window and trying to forget the words.

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Well, I hope that this chapter is a wee bit longer then usual. ; I was going to cut it off just after their meeting but decided (and was told) that I could drag it on a little more. Hopefully from now on the Chapters will be longer, and the updates more closer together! 


	7. A Summer to Remember Pt1

Dx; Sorry this update is so late!! I just couldn't find the inspiration to write!!

I caved. lol I was going to post this as one long chapter, but I just couldn't do it. Dx So this will probably be two, MAYBE three parts... MAYBE. haha Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Thanks to those who supported me over the long months and didn't push me when it came to this. ) I appreciate it, guys.

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Harry's summer had started out like any other. He was brought home in silence, he trudged up to his room in silence, and he sat there in silence waiting to be called by his aunt or uncle to do some chore or other. After all, they usually put him to work as soon as they could. But for the rest of the day, no sound came from the family so Harry went about his room lazily, cleaning everything up and unpacking things he'd absolutely need.

When everything he knew he'd need was unpacked and set up around his room where it would be easy to get to he flopped down onto his bed with a sigh. Something was wrong with his relatives; normally they'd have him working on something or other or Dudley would be bugging him but nothing. Instead of being a relief to Harry, it was unnerving. Finally unable to stand it anymore he got up and made his way downstairs.

Finding no trace of his uncle or cousin in the living room he padded into the kitchen where he found his aunt bustling about, humming to herself. Stepping into the room Harry cleared his throat before asking, "Is there... Is there anything I can help you with?" The sound of his voice brought about a gasp from Petunia as she jumped a little bit and turned around to look at the boy with a hard gaze.

"No! No there is not! Get back up to your room and stay there! We have very important guests coing over and you are not going to ruin this!" She said shrilly. Harry gave a small nod before he turned and quickly left the room before she started whipping utensils at him. So, that was why they were ignoring him so; company was coming over. Harry shrugged to himself. At least he was getting some time to himself. Surely they'd start working him tomorrow. So, returning to his room Harry grabbed a book to read and curled up in his bed. No sooner had he opened the tome had he fallen asleep.

The next day dawned with Harry feeling refreshed, and hungry. He had only gotten up once yesterday and that was to eat a small, quick meal before the guests arrived. Getting off of his bed Harry straightened his wrinkled his clothes and headed downstairs to see if he could get some breakfast. Luckily, his guardians were in a decent mood so they allowed him some of the cooling breakfast. As he sat and ate silently, Vernon talked about the deal he was hoping to make at work and how the office would be busy today while Petunia half listened.

After Vernon finished eating and he got up and kissed Petunia as he got ready to leave. Turning to Harry he regarded the boy with a cold gaze. "Now listen here, boy; you do as your told and maybe you can get a decent supper. Good disipline is rewarded with good things." He said, watching Harry. Raising his gaze from his plate to look his uncle in the face Harry nodded and said, "Yessir." Vernon nodded his head. "Good. Now Petunia dear, you tell Dudders I said for him to have a good day and to stay out of trouble." Harry sat in silence as the two exchanged a few more words and a kiss. After that, Vernon left.

Harry finished his breakfast and got up, about to do the dishes. "Now Harry..." Petunia started as she entered the kitchen. Last summer his aunt had gone soft on him some; she still worked him like a horse but allowed him more breaks and snacks every so often. Dudley stopped showing an interest in cousin ever since the words, "girls are good for more then making fun of" entered his mind and spent his summer trying to woo a girl into being his girlfriend. The only one who hadn't really changed was Vernon; he still seemed to carry some unspoken hate for him.

"Yes, aunt?" He remarked, turning the water on and making in the right temperature. "The dishes; how thoughtful of you, I wasn't going to ask you to do them but please, go ahead!" She remarked as she brought the other dishes to the sink for him. "Once your done could you please dust the livining room, sweep the floors, and pull the weeds in the flower beds?" She requested, standing by his side to wait for his answer.

Harry smiled a little bit to her and nodded his head, "Sure thing, aunt." He answered. She gave him a quick smile before she bustled off to do something else. While Harry scrubbed the dishes and rinsed them off, he thought back to last summer. While he had been with his relatives Petunia had started to be more nicer, and Vernon had begun to spend less and less time at home. Harry frowned a little bit, wondering if something was going on between the two of them. Around the same time, Dudley had finally discovered girls and Harry was no longer that interesting... Not that Harry was complaining or anything.

Once the dishes were done, Harry went about to finish the other chores before he headed to his room to do a little homework, figuring that if he finished it all now, while he was at his relatives house, he would have more time to lounge comfortably at Grimmauld Place and do all sorts of things with Ron and Hermione when they all got together at the Burrow. Harry grinned brightly at the thought of his two best friends. Yes, that would be his drive to finish all his homework before he left.

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Harry hadn't realized he had worked on his homework for long and until so late and... Hadn't accomplished much. Between dosing off, not understanding, and being called for different chores every so often, Harry had only finished about half of his Herbology essay and written down a few characteristics that set unicorns apart from malticorns. With a sigh and a dull 'thump' of closing his thick herbology text Harry straightened out and stretched just as the sound of heavy footsteps reached his ears. A moment later a loud thudding sounded on the door.

"Boy! Get a move on! Dinner's getting cold!" Came Vernon's booming voice before his heavy steps headed back downstairs. Harry cocked his head to the side curiously. Why should that have anything to do with him? Shrugging and deciding to go downstairs to find out he got off his bed and headed out of his room, straightening his clothes all the way down. Once he had joined his relatives at the table and a cloud of silence had fallen over everyone Harry looked around uncertainly.

Everyone was eating like they normally did, only they weren't ignoring Harry's presence like they usually did; they all seemed to be acutely aware that the Potter boy was sitting at the table, eating a full meal which was rare. "Um, may I ask a question?" Harry finally managed to say, looking between his aunt and uncle uncertainly; he didn't even want to risk a look at Dudley, knowing that it would only lead to trouble.

Petunia and Vernon looked up from their meals, almost in unison, but their looks were quite different. Vernon wore a look at dark loathing while Petunia wore a look of sickly sweet love, her smile looking a little forced. "What is it, Harry?" She asked, her smile still in place. As Harry sat there, looking at them stupidly Vernon barked, "Out with it boy!" This seemed to bring Harry out of his coma and he shook his head a little before motioning towards the table. "What is with all this?" He asked.

For a moment, it seemed that no one understood the boy but realization seemed to dawn on Petunia after a few moments of looking at Harry blankly. "Oh! Oh, I get what you're saying!" She exclaimed before her smile brightened and that sickly sweet look that was so unlike her was back. "Oh Harry, I figured after all your hard work you deserved a nice big meal. I'm hoping to make this a permanent thing..." She trailed off, her eyes looking at her husband darkly. The look made his own gaze drop to his food and Harry couldn't help but feel wary.

But make it permanent Petunia did. Every night, Harry ate with the family, and every night, things were tenser and tenser. Finally, it snapped in relief when Lupin came by to pick Harry up to spend the remainder of July in Grimmauld place alone. Harry had been upstairs, packing up his things when Vernon's loud voice had boomed, "Get down here boy! Your "friend" is here!" Harry perked up happy and dropped the stack of books he had been holding which made Hedwig screech and ruffle her feathers angrily.

As Harry made his way for the stairs, Lupin turned and watched the boy, a look of slight confusion and mistrust on his face. Harry stopped at the bottom of the stairs and grinned at his former teacher. "Lupin, am I ever glad to see you!" He exclaimed, taking a few steps towards the older man and holding his arms out for a hug. His grin faltered for a moment when Lupin didn't automatically respond. But after a moment he grinned as well, his eyes still looking a little confused as he opened his arms and embraced the teen. "Harry! So good to see you!" He returned, forcing his werewolf instincts to calm down. It was obvious to him something just wasn't right with Harry.

After chatting for a little while, the dark looks Vernon was shooting the pair became too much and Lupin followed Harry upstairs to help him with his trunk and other things. Once they were alone in his room Lupin shut the door softly and turned to watch as Harry packed the of his things up. "Harry... Harry!" Lupin started, grabbing the boys attention. "Yes?" Harry remarked, holding some robes in his hands.

Lupin frowned a little bit; Harry's entire room reeked of something unfamiliar to him but very familiar to his instincts; an enemy if you would. "Harry... Have you been around anyone?" He asked calmly, watching as Harry's face was now showing confusion. "No, sir; I've only been with my relatives... why?" He answered, now watching as Lupin's eyes went over everything in Harry's room. A heavy silence fell before Lupin smiled and said, "Oh it's nothing Harry; I guess it's just too close to a full moon, that's all. Are you all packed? Good, let's hurry on then!" And with that, Lupin opened the door, strode over quickly to cast a feather-spell on Harrys trunk and dragged it out.

Harry stood for a moment, dumbfounded. Lupin had acted so quickly Harry hadn't had a moment to mention that the full moon had already come and gone for the month of July.

* * *

Harry smiled brightly the instant the dreary form of Grimmauld Place appeared before him. With a happy laugh Harry left Lupin's side and ran towards the house. Wretching open the door he looked around happily, taking a deep breath as he stepped inside a little more. The entire place was silent, even the old picture of Sirius' mother was silent and gave no scream as he walked passed, grin still in place.

When Lupin came in after him he turned around and said, "This placed hasn't changed one bit; haven't you guys been doing any work?" Lupin set the boy's trunk by the stairs, deciding that the two of them could drag it up to Harry's room later. "Yes, we have. But we decided that this old place shouldn't have any of it's stuff removed so we set about restoring it and anything with Dark Magic has been purified, so to speak." He answered, giving a weak smile. "I think it'll look quite the place when it's all fixed up." He added and Harry nodded his head.

Turning around again Harry took in a deep breath. "I like it the way it is." He said finally and Lupin nodded his head though he doubted Harry could see it. "So when does the Order meet here?" He asked, turning around once more to regard the werewolf. Lupin shrugged and scratched his head. "We don't really... Have a set date and time. But when we do plan to meet we'll be sure to send you a warning or something. Just so we don't drop in unexpectedly." He answered. They hadn't planned what he said, but he'd be sure to run it past the other Order members. Lupin may have never had kids or married but he knew from experience that teenagers liked their time alone and he didn't really want to make Harry wary of unexpected visitors in what was technically his house.

"Okay, thanks Lupin." Harry said, his smile softening into something one would give a father or a role model; the smile made Lupin smile a little and duck his head sheepishly. "Don't mention it, Harry..." He mumbled before he looked up and cleared his throat before adding, "Well, how about we get your stuff to your room and then we have a late lunch?" And gratefully, Harry agreed.

It didn't take them long to get Harry set up in a room set in the west side of house so half an hour or so later the two of them were in the kitchen eating sandwiches and sharing stories of what had happened that summer or memories from before. "-Remember when you brought in that Boggart?" Harry asked with a grin and a mouthful of sandwiches, "And Ron made it turn into a spider and then he was scared stiff?" Lupin grinned and took a sip of his juice. "Yes, yes; poor boy." Lupin remarked and shook his head. Harry laughed and said, "He had nightmares for weeks!" And Lupin's laughter joined Harry's.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Lupin, who was looking at his plate uneasily; said, "Harry has... Has anything weird happened this summer? Like, to you or around you...?" He looked up at the other though his head remained bowed. Harry sat silently for a moment, a frown in his face. "Other then my aunt treating me like a regular human being, no. Why do you ask?" He answered, his green gaze making the other squirm somewhat.

"Oh, no reason. I was just curious and well, you know how things have been lately..." Lupin returned hesitatingly. At that moment, a clock deep within the house chimed loudly and Lupin jumped up from the table. "Oh dear, I hadn't realized that it was so late. I'm sorry to run so suddenly Harry but I'm afraid I'm late for an important meeting with Professor Dumbledore." He remarked, picking up his and Harry's dishes before setting them into the sink and spelling them to clean and put themselves away.

Harry stood up and walked silently with Lupin to th front door. "It's no trouble, Lupin; I'm glad you could have stayed even for a little while." He said before letting himself be embraced by the older man. "I am too Harry. And if you ever need anything or anything happens, just call for me with floo." He remarked, his grip tightening on the boy. "Promise me that Harry." He added. Harry was silent for a moment before answered, "Of course, Lupin; you know I will." And with that, Lupin let go of Harry and gave him a small smile before he headed off, Harry looking thoughtful as the werewolf soon disappeared with a muffled pop. Once he was sure the other was gone he closed the door and sighed, leaning against it. He was thankful for the time alone. With a happy hum Harry set off to find something to occupy his time with.

* * *

"You're sure about this, Lupin?" Dumbledore asked, regarded the werewolf over the top of his half-moon glasses and Lupin nodded furiously. "I'm quite sure; we should kepe a close eye on him." He answered.

Dumbledore gave a soft sigh as he leaned back in his chair, tapping his nose thoughtfully. "So Harry's scent has changed, you're sure of that?" His question was answered with a nod. "And you _know_ you've smelt it before, but you can't place it?" Another nod. Another sigh. "Lupin, maybe you're just smelling another scent _on_ him." He reasoned, but Lupin shook his head. "I thought that at first too, Professor, but the longer I stayed around him, the more I realized that the scent was coming off of him." He answered, and Dumbledore held up his hands. "All right Lupin. I'll send someone out to watch him for awhile." Lupin's face fell before he opened his mouth, but Dumbledore cut him off. "I'm sorry Lupin, but I think we need to send someone else; we'll need an expert... You say it was an _animal_ smell coming from him?" He remarked and Lupin started to nod once more before pausing with a frown.

"It was animal-like... Like another werewolf, only... Different..." He muttered out, not sure if he made sense. Dumbledore was quiet for a moment, before he nodded. "All right, I would like to send Hagrid, but I need him for other things around Hogwarts. I guess that only leaves one person..." Dumbledore trailed off with a sigh, knowing that this would come back to hit him. "Who, Professor?" Lupin questioned.

"...Severus Snape..."

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Well, I hope this chapter was _slightly_ enoyable, hehe and hopefully I'll have the second part up sooner rather then later


	8. A Summer to Remember Pt2

XD This story just seems to get worse and worse, lol. I'm glad people still like it though -

AN: Just a reminder that I don't own Harry Potter+co, and my story goes AU after book five -

Billowing black robes swished over the grass, wet with dew, as shoes made no more sound then a mouse racing across a wooden floor. The determined steps came to a halt in front of a door and three precise taps sounded before the man stood in the dawn's cold and waited. Slowly, the door creaked open and he was greeted by a groggy looking teenager. "Wha...?" Came the greeting as the other recognized the tall, ominous looking man.

"Mr. Potter, is this how you treat your guests?" Severus Snape remarked coolly, watching as Harry stammered out an apology and opened the door wider. Slowly, Snape stepped inside and Harry shut the door quickly, hoping to keep out the cold that had seeped in. A moment later Harry realized that the cold was coming from Snape and a silent groan came from the teen; did the Potions master really hate him that much?

Feeling those cold, dark eyes boring into him, Harry spun around and instantly they were having a staring contest. That is, until a certain red-headed woman appeared from the kitchen. "Oh, Severus! Hope glad I am to see that you made it here safely!" She greeted, smiling warmly at the Potions master who ever so slowly turned away from Harry to smile a little at the plump woman. "As am I.. Is my room ready?" He questioned in his monotonous voice, and Mrs. Wealsey nodded and, taking a grip on his arm lead him to the kitchen to tell him all that she expected him to do.

Harry remained silent and sighed once the two were no longer present. Yes, this was certainly going to be a long summer...

_Flashback to the night before_

"..What?!" Harry exclaimed, staring at Lupin and Dumbledore from across the table. Lupin sighed and bowed his head, rubbing his temples slowly, while Dumbledore took a deep breath and tried to remain patient. "Harry, as a safety precaution we decided someone had to be with you here, and Severus does not have anything immediate he must do so-" But Harry cut in with a sharp, "No! I refuse to spend my summer with Snape!"

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry." Albus corrected, and for the first time in a long time, his eyes narrowed. "And the decision is final. Severus will arrive tomorrow and you are to treat him with respect and listen to him, as he holds the authority in this household." He said, his tone indicating that there was nothing Harry could do about it. Instead, the teen huffed and slumped into his chair and folded his arms.

"Fine. I'll put up with him, but I won't like it." Harry finally said, and Dumbledore smiled brightly. "Well, now that that's settled we must be on our way. Take care Harry." The headmaster said and the trio got up and soon enough, Harry was alone. But not more then five minutes had passed before the silence was broken by the sound of Mrs. Weasley arriving, making Harry silently grateful to have a warm face around.

---

Over the next week or so, Harry couldn't do anything without Snape breathing down his neck. The Potions master had drawn a tight reign on the household; he even controlled when Harry went to bed and got up - "It's for your own good" the greasy git replied everytime Harry snapped at him. So the young teen resigned himself to the fate of being looked out for like a child.

---

Severus couldn't see anything different; not physically at least, though Harry did seem more resigned to taking orders then to fighting them. The entire thing puzzled the man, and at first he thought Lupin must have been wrong. But as the days drew closer and closer to the teens birthday, Snape began noticing changes in Harry's habits. He began eating less and less, but at different times of the day could be found rooting around the kitchen for anything. He slept more and more, and when he'd spend time doing homework, Snape would find him with his head laid down on the desk when the afternoon sun shone on him.

And then the physical changes began. Harry's eyes became a more brighter shade of green and his hair was easily tamed, though it still stuck out in the odd place. He seemed to have filled out more, though he was still slender and more then once Snape had heard Harry mumbling about how short he seemed, though the boy was actually of a fair height. What bothered Snape the most was Harry almost always looked like he was waiting for someone, or was longing for them. He could also tell when they had a visitor and who they were before they appeared.

Snape had told Dumbledore, and much to his dismay, also told Lupin. The duo agreed they could see the same things, but they could not put reason to fact. "We'll just have to wait and see now won't we?" Lupin remarked with a sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration; the scent was getting heavier and heavier in the house and it was taking Lupin past the point of control; it was like a dog chasing a cat, but the cat was too smart - At that thought Lupin stood up. "I have to check something out." He said, and abruptly turned and left the two looking after him, wondering just what the hell had happened.

After a moment Dumbledore turned and looked at Severus. "Keep a close eye on him; his brithday's coming up and I have a horrible feeling coming on." He said in a soft voice and the other man nodded as the headmaster got up and left him in silence as Harry had crawled into bed already.

---

Somewhere deep inside the house, a clock struck twelve, the new hour on July 31st; the day everyone had been tip-toeing around since the information about Harry's weird vibes leaked through the Order. But none were awake at that hour; none but a teen whose vivid green eyes shot open at pain ripped at his spine. His mouth formed an 'o' as a silent scream ripped from his throat. Arching his back he gasped as the pain shot through his body again; this time ripping at his organs.

Not a single coherent thought could be made in his mind, but somewhere he wondered if Voldemort was finally finishing him off. But even deeper then that, he knew it was not so; he knew he was finally taking on his true form. The knowledge leaked into his mind, as if it had always been there and was simply waiting for the time to come out. Another silent scream emitted; only this time, it wasn't so silent; very faintly, Harry heard himself scream as his bones twisted and grew, becoming longer and smaller in some places. Muscles tore, swell, and then mended themselves, while a sweat formed over Harry's lithe frame, now awkwardly lanky, and considerably less human.

His skull had elongenated at the front, forming a snout. Arms were almost twice as long, and fingers thin. His ears had grew almost twice their normal size and became pointed. Legs were also considerably longer, and his feet had taken on a distinct cat form, his toes the only that would support him if he were to stand. But out of all that, the most painful was that of the growth of his tail bone. What once was no more then the end of his spine had broken through his skin and grown to the same length as his spine, his skin, muscle, and nerves quickly working to cover the new bone. And for an instant, it stopped; just like that the pain was gone and his bones grew and re-shaped no more.

This moment of peace gave Harry time to breath deeply and slowly ease his racing heart. But as he looked around the room, he found his sight perfect; and his hearing too. He strained his ears a little, and found himself listening to the mumbles and shuffling of Kreacher, the house elf, almost two floors below. Lying awake in bewilderment for a moment longer, Harry finally found sleep, rather forcifully, washing over him. And he gave in readily, and was soon deep in sleep. Some deity had apparently taken pity on the boy and put him into a deep slumber as his sleek, wavy black coat grew in, shed, and grew once more. Harry remained in his changed form until morning.

When Snape went in to wake him up, he stopped dead at the sight of the disfigured boy sleeping admist his blankets, and thick, black fur all around.

---

Many miles away, a blond-haired Slytherin woke with a start. A grin grew instantly when he realized that his mate had finally Aged.


	9. Alternate Coming of Age Harry

_this is one of three different ways I had thought Harry's aging scene out._

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The clock deep within Grimmauld place struck midnight, declaring to the sleeping world that it was July 31st - Harry's birthday. Fate wasted no time getting to work, and as the last chime died away bright green eyes opened to meet a mass of pain stirring in the pit of his stomach and slowly licking it's way out. Mouth opened wide Harry tried to call out for someone, but no sound could be heard. Holding his hands to his face Harry let out silent sob after silent sob as deep within him, he felt his organs shifting and ones he never knew he had began to flow with the energy of life.

As his muscles contracted and tore, he was aware his bones were shifting. Finally, he managed to croak out his pain as he arched his back and flung his arms out to cling at the sheets. If he listened through his panting he could hear the groaning of his own bones stretching out, his muscles in close pursuit, then his skin and everything else. For an instant, Harry wondered if this was Voldemort's doing; his way of finishing him off - when he was in the care of one his very own Death Eater's.

A brief pause in the change and Harry began to sob in relief, paying no attention to the fact that his body was now horribly disfigured; his arms almost twice their normal length, his fingers slimmer and his feet stretched so only his toes and first part of his feet would support his slimmer, lighter frame. As he began to calm and sink into slight comfort, the pain roared to life again, tearing at his head and the base of his spine. This time, he was able to give an audible scream when his tail bone ripped through his skin and vertebrae after vertebrae filled themselves in at lightning speed, the tissue and other muscles rapidly regenerating on the tail that had grown in.

His ears stretched and slimmed, and his skull flattened and enlongated into the vague shape of a cats, setting his ears closer to his crown. Each second caused another scream to rip through his throat, which was quickly becoming hoarse. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps vaguely registered in Harry's mind as his pupils slitted and his teeth became delicate fangs and whisker after whisker appeared on his newly formed muzzle.

By the time the door swung open the lithe form had hidden itself in the shadows, the matress and bedding upon the bed completely shredded by clumsy paw-like hands. Snape's eyes looked around the room carefully, the stillness unnerving even his iron will. Sowly the silence was filled with a small mewling. Muttering a spell a dim light appeared on the tip of Snape's drawn wand. Slowly advancing into the room the Potions Master moved his wand back and forth, shedding light on the room until he finally spotted what was missing from the bed.

Curled up in a corner, eyes shut tight was Harry - or who he assumed was Harry. The body before him was curled up like a sleeping animal, a thickly-furred black tail curling infront of its owners face. Most of the body was covered in rough black fur as well by now. In a way, it reminded him of Sirius' dog-form - coarse hair, long and shaggy. Standing still, Snape waited; unsure of what to do. He was almost 100 sure it was Harry laying infront of him, in some form. Slowly, green eyes opened and looked at the Potions Master from behind the still moving tail. Within their depths Snape could see dull pain, and comprehension of who stood infront if him - before the look went feral.

Snape had time to only open his mouth before the cat-like creature gave an angry hiss and leaped at him.

--

Miles away, a blond haired Slytherin woke with a start. A grin began to form upon his face when he realized his mate had finally come of Age.

--

Further still, dull brown eyes cracked open in the dawn, a faint feeling telling the form the two it had waiting so patiently for had finally arrived into the world. Giving a luxurious stretch the person turned over in bed to look out at the bleeding sky, wondering about the near future with a sleepy grin.

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Hopefully a new, real chapter will be following this one tonight/tomorrow


	10. Author's Note 1

Hey sorry but this isn't a new chapter ): I just wanted to update to say hey. I started to feel bad to see the reviews and watches were still trickling in even when I had basically abandoned this story. On the bright side, because of these I have decided to not only update but rewrite the previous chapters with a whole new plotline and description of the Tairlai. Why am I doing this, some may wonder? Well, I started this story back in the 8th grade on a whim... It's been about 5 years since this story took shape, and about 3 years since it was listed here. Lots happens in 3 years, including maturing, improved writing (I hope!), and more solid planning. I'm going to work hard over the next few days to update all the old chapters, and to pull out some new ones to get this story done!

Hope you all enjoy the revised edition (:

- Obsoleted, now going by Mintyy

**March 17 - Happy St. Patrick's Day! If you received a story update you will see there is no chapter following this note, that's because I added in the new prologue and placed it at the beginning (: **


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